A row has erupted between the Anglican Church of Kenya and the Ministry of Education following the abrupt removal of Butere Girls’ High School principal Dorah Okalo.
The two authorities have disagreed over how Okalo was issued with a transfer letter from the prestigious national school after the Teachers Service Commission was allegedly misled in making the transfer.
It is reported that Butere ACK Bishop Tom Wambunya wrote a letter to the TSC demanding Okalo’s removal after she refused to allow the church to hive off part of the school land for church development. Wambunya is a member of the school board.
Butere subcounty quality assurance and standards officer Isaac Kuya yesterday said the ministry had not issued any complaint to warrant TSC to remove Okalo from the school.
“The school is well-managed. Even its mean score went up to 8.8 points in the 2015 KCSE exam,” he said.
Kuya explained that the assessment reports carried out in the school had indicated Okalo was managing the school effectively and asked why the TSC issued a transfer letter without consulting the ministry officials.
Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association Kakamega chairman Godfrey Owori yesterday described the proposed transfer as a witch-hunt for personal interest.
Reports from the Kakamega county education office indicate that Wambunya’s letter was not copied to the county TSC director of education or the county director of education as required by education staffing policies.
The bishop admits he wrote the letter, as he was concerned with the school’s performance in national exams. He denies he was pushing for the principals’ transfer for refusing to give the church land.
“The church has over 100 acres of land, while the school has only 45 acres. And we have not exhausted our portion,” Wambunya said.